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Mobile Subscribers at Marina Bay to Get Maximum Throughput on Singapore’s National Day Parade

Mobile Subscribers at Marina Bay to Get Maximum Throughput on Singapore’s National Day Parade

Mobile subscribers from StarHub and Singtel within the Marina Bay area on the 9th August 2017, will get to enjoy unprecedented levels of network continuity. In previous celebrations, the mobile telcos will usually deploy additional mobile cell towers, to support the expected increase use. With the two announcements released on Thursday, 4th August 2017, the support may come with additional technologies added.

Singtel released their press release first, announcing plans to team with network vendors, ZTE, Huawei and Ericsson, to deploy massive MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) technology commercially on its LTE-Advanced mobile network using the 2.5GHz spectrum.

StarHub then released plans to commercially switch on its latest 4G equipment also on 2.5GHz spectrum, utilising TDD-LTE, to serve the huge crowds at and around The Float@Marina Bay.

Singtel’s massive MIMO is a lead-up to 5G network, while StarHub’s TDD-LTE prepares the network for the eventual released of smartphones gigabit-capable 4G services.

Journey to 5G: Singtel to deploy Massive MIMO technology at special events

Key 4.5G technology will enhance mobile data speed experience by up to 200%

Singapore, 3 August 2017 – Singtel today announced plans to deploy Massive MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) technology commercially on its LTE-Advanced mobile network, to enhance mobile data speed experience by up to 200% at special events for its customers. A precursor to 5G technology, Massive MIMO is an advanced solution used to boost network capacity in highly dense environments.

Singtel will team up with Ericsson, Huawei and ZTE to deploy Massive MIMO technology at the Marina Bay area. For a start, Singtel will roll out the network boost at the upcoming National Day celebrations, with other deployments planned for the Singapore F1 Night Race and the New Year countdown event.

Over 150,000 people are expected at the Marina Bay area to celebrate National Day next week. Singtel mobile customers gathered there will be able to enjoy a better data experience as they share their photos and videos of the exciting performances and fireworks on social media.

Mr Mark Chong, Group Chief Technology Officer, Singtel, said: “On the joyous occasion of our National Day celebrations, Singtel is pleased to be pairing our newly-acquired 2.5GHz spectrum with Massive MIMO technology to expand our network capacity and offer our customers an enhanced mobile experience at this and other special events. We look forward to rolling out new technologies and innovative solutions to support the anticipated growth in mobile data.”

Globally, large crowds gathered at events, such as concerts and festivals, use high volumes of data to share their experiences via real-time videos on social media. This extraordinary behaviour generates a dramatic spike in network traffic, presenting a challenge for operators to provide fast and consistent data speeds.

Singtel has identified Massive MIMO as one of the solutions to the problem. Singtel will use Massive MIMO base stations featuring a large array of 64 antennas that improve spectral efficiency and cell capacity using innovations in radio technologies. The innovative antenna system channels signals to users’ specific locations instead of broadcasting across a geographical area. This multiplies the number of data paths from the cellular base stations, thus increasing network capacity and improving user experience.

Singtel provides Singapore’s fastest nationwide mobile data speeds at 450Mbps and recently launched 800Mbps speeds in the high-traffic Orchard Road area. In addition to having the island’s widest outdoor 4G coverage as rated by IMDA1 for 10 consecutive quarters, Singtel is also ranked the fastest telco in Singapore by global metrics leader, Ookla.

Singapore, 3 August 2017 – StarHub Mobile customers celebrating SG52 ‘live’ at National Day Parade (NDP) 2017 will be among the first to enjoy a smoother data experience on their smartphones!

Come National Day, StarHub will commercially switch on its latest 4G equipment to serve the huge crowds at and around The Float@Marina Bay. Utilising the 2.5GHz TDD-LTE spectrum secured at the earlier auction, StarHub’s upgrade will boost the size of its data expressways that carry customers’ data traffic by 30%.

With this boost in capacity, the network will be better able to handle the expected surge in data traffic and number of connections, just as a wider road can fit more vehicles, leading to lesser bottlenecks even during peak hours. This means customers can expect to experience improvements in mobile service quality.

“Our TDD-LTE deployment will enable us to improve the experience of everyone’s 4G connection, and we are eager to bring the upgrade to more areas where it matters for our customers,” said Mr Chong Siew Loong, Chief Technology Officer, StarHub. “In the meantime, we are carrying out final rounds of optimisation to ensure our customers can enjoy the best possible experience as they broadcast their happy NDP moments to family and friends.”

By the end of this year, customers can look forward to enjoying better service quality in more areas such as Central Business District, Chinatown, Clarke Quay and Orchard Road. In 2018, coverage will be extended to other key high-traffic areas like transport hubs and heartland town centres.

StarHub’s TDD-LTE upgrade paves the way for gigabit-capable 4G services, which will be unveiled by the end of this year, when compatible phone models arrive on our shores.